9/11 Tribute Park Memorial

History

In the days after the WTC attack on September 11, 2001, when it became clear that Rockaway was perhaps the hardest hit community in the city, a group of Rockaway activists sat down to plan a memorial for the locals who died in the attack.

Everybody agreed that the perfect site was a triangle on the bay at Beach 116 Street, an empty lot belonging to the city’s Parks Department, from which many Rockaway residents watched the Twin Towers burn and then fall.

On November 6, 2005, after a lot of hard work, the park opened without its signature cupola which was added five months later.

Mission Statement

The park was created to serve as a tribute, not a memorial, to those Rockaway residents who died in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The intention was to provide a place where community members can reflect on their lost loved ones and find comfort to move on with their lives.